The Peugeot 208, which replaces the 207 model, will also be built at PSA’s two other facilities located in France. The company plans to produce a total of 520,000 units of the 208 annually. It also hopes that the new model will help to boost sales at the time when a slowdown in economic growth in the European Union is expected.
PSA Slovakia managing director Luciano Biondo did not reveal information about the planned production rate of the new model, but noted that assembly of the Peugeot 207 will continue at the site for some time. The Trnava plant, which also builds the Citroën C3 Picasso small MPV, plans to add a third shift and hire 800 additional workers to the current 3,000 employees in the summer of 2012.
The Slovak unit of the French carmaker PSA Peugeot Citroën has launched pilot production of the Peugeot 208, which will be make its official debut at the 2012 Geneva Mortor Show in March